Tales from the Tokitsukaze
by elektroboot98
Summary: WW2 Nonbending AU. Commander Zuko Takahashi is the skipper of the Imperial Japanese Navy's newest destroyer, the Tokitsukaze. With war looming, he and his men will join the fight against the strongest opponent Japan has ever faced. Prequel to Storm over the Pacific.
1. Chapter 1: Introductions

**Author's Introduction: So after writing Chapter 2 of** _ **GC: Kyoshi Rising**_ **, in which I introduced Zuko as a destroyer commander, I thought of the idea of writing a story centered around him and the men of his destroyer, the** _ **Tokitsukaze**_ **, and their exploits leading up to the events of** _ **Kyoshi Rising**_ **. So this is the first chapter of said story. Expect appearances from additional characters,** _ **Avatar**_ **and IJN alike.**

 **And two things. First off, yes, the** _ **Tokitsukaze**_ **was a real** _ **Kagerō**_ **-class destroyer. In choosing Zuko's ship, I tried to single one out that wasn't as famous as, say, the** _ **Yukikaze**_ **or the** _ **Shigure**_ **. I had toyed with the idea of creating a fake destroyer (a tactic that the Japanese actually employed to conceal the funding that had been allocated to building the** _ **Yamato**_ **-class battleships), but since I'm not too good with coming up with names, let alone for Japanese destroyers, and because I'm lazy, I decided to use a real ship instead.**

 **Second, I've little to no experience with writing about the functions aboard a naval vessel. What little I know of this comes from reading Tom Clancy's books, Tameichi Hara's** _ **Japanese Destroyer Captain**_ **, and from the internet. Unfortunately, little to no information can be found about the functions of the crew aboard a Japanese destroyer, so any such jargon that I use is derived from both Hara's book and (ironically) the US Navy's** _ **Standard Organization Book for 2100-ton destroyers**_ **(even though the** _ **Kagerōs**_ **weighed 400 tons more). If I make any errors or inconsistencies when writing about this material, feel free to correct me if you can. Otherwise, I ask that you bear with me.**

 **Disclaimers: I own neither** _ **Avatar: The Last Airbender**_ **nor its characters. Both are the property of the creative duo the internet has come to crown as "Bryke." Thanks for making what I consider one of the greatest animated shows of all time.**

 **Special thanks to** _ **Redshirt51**_ **for inspiring me to put ATLA characters aboard a destroyer with his fic** _ **Into the Storm**_ **.**

* * *

 **December 16th, 1940**

 **13:20 PM**

 **Uraga, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan**

Since 1906, the shipyards of Uraga Dock Company had been producing destroyers for the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Over the years, in anticipation of the Navy's growing demand for warships, the shipyard had been heavily expanded to include several dockyards to construct, fit-out, and house multiple vessels at a time.

Thus, by this point, especially in the tense political atmosphere that had been brewing over the years, it was no wonder that the harbor had been bustling with activity as of late, with many destroyers anchored at the piers that dotted the harbor while additional ones took shape on the slipways and in the dockyards.

Even so, the docks never failed to draw the eye of many curious Japanese citizens living in the vicinity. For them, watching the yardmen build the newest additions to the IJN's destroyer force was as sensational as whatever secret project was transpiring behind the screens that closed off one of the dockyards in Kure.

As for Zuko Takahashi, he felt right at home as he walked down the pier past the destroyers.

The twenty four-year old fondly recalled the numerous trips he'd taken to the Kure shipyards as a little boy with his beloved Uncle Iroh whenever the older man was off duty and how he'd stared enviously at the sailors milling about the warships stationed there.

" _Uncle?" he'd asked one day, "Will I get to join the Navy like you?"_

" _Someday," Iroh had replied with a gentle smile and a pat on the back, "Who knows? Perhaps you'll get to have your own ship!"_

He let out a chuckle as he realized the truth behind that statement. What he had NOT expected, however, was that he would be the youngest destroyer skipper in the history of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

But alas, after graduating from the Officer's School in Yokosuka, serving as a Chief Torpedo Officer, and an eight-month stint as an Executive Officer to his mentor, the legendary Commander Tameichi Hara, he'd become eligible for commanding his own destroyer at the age of twenty-four. Though the appointment of such a young man to such an important position had caused somewhat of a stir among the Navy's upper-echelons, Hara had put all rumors of bribery and corruption to rest by pointing to the fact that his pupil had graduated with top marks from the Officer's School and had demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for destroyer warfare, showing that the decision had been based solely on merit.

After several minutes of searching, Zuko found his ship. The side of the gangway leading up to her deck read "Tokitsukaze" in black hiragana.

The latest ship to be completed in Uraga's slipways, she was also the newest of the _Kagerō_ -class destroyers, quite possibly the best class of destroyer that Japan had ever fielded, with a top speed of 35 knots, a range of over 5,000 nautical miles, and a heavy-hitting armament of six 12.7-centimeter guns in three turrets (one forward, two aft), a pair of depth-charge launchers, and, to Zuko's enthusiasm, eight 61-centimeter torpedo tubes mounted in two quadruple launchers amidships. All within 2,500 tons.

And unlike the equally revolutionary _Fubuki_ -class destroyers that had been introduced much earlier in the late 1920s, the _Kagerōs_ were structurally stable, having benefited from lessons learned from the IJN's original philosophy for constructing destroyers, which had been to cram the largest firepower and fastest top speed within the smallest hull possible.

While this philosophy had worked in theory, the end result was that the destroyers of the time were top-heavy and structurally unsound, as was demonstrated in the infamous Fourth Fleet Incident of September 1935, where the IJN's Fourth Fleet stumbled into a typhoon and, among other disasters, two _Fubuki_ s accompanying the fleet had each had their bows sheared off by the high winds and rough waves.

Of course it was worth mentioning that the entire reason for this philosophy was that the IJN was trying to circumvent the London Naval Treaty which, among other things, limited the total tonnage of their destroyer force. As a result, the "treaty destroyer," as such ships were nicknamed, was conceived as a means to circumvent the treaty and still maintain parity with the US Navy's destroyer force, of which the IJN's was limited to 71%.

However, after Japan withdrew from the Treaty in 1936, the restrictions had been lifted, allowing the Navy to build larger destroyers like the _Kagerōs_.

Zuko was no stranger to the new destroyers, having served aboard one, Hara's _Amatsukaze_ , for eight months. At his mentor's behest, he'd observed and studied every function that the crew carried out aboard the ship in preparation for the day that he would command his own.

As he walked up the gangplank onto _Tokitsukaze_ 's deck, he noticed another man standing in front of the #1 gun turret. Like him, the man was dressed in his white officer's uniform. He also seemed older, with a grey beard that ran along the sides of his face but stopped just short of his chin.

The man saluted and approached him, hand outstretched.

"Commander Takahashi, I presume?"

Zuko took his hand and shook it,

"That would be me. And you are?"

He saluted again before replying,

"Lieutenant Commander Jee Sasaki. Since you are the skipper of this ship, that would make me your Executive Officer, _sir_."

Zuko saluted him back with a grin.

"At ease," he commanded, and Jee complied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jee."

"And you as well, sir." he said with a smile.

Zuko looked around, noticing how empty the deck of the destroyer was.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" he asked.

"The officers are below decks in the wardroom," Jee answered, "Since we were in port, I let the enlisted men go ashore. If you want, I can send someone to call them back."

"It's alright," Zuko said with a wave of his hand, "Let them enjoy themselves a little while longer. In the meantime, I would like to meet the officers."

"Right this way, then," Jee escorted him down the stairs that led from the forward deck to the the rest of the ship's deck. They then went down another flight of stairs to below decks and walked down a narrow hallway until they came to a door that read "wardroom." Jee knocked twice, opened it, and motioned for Zuko to follow him.

A large table lay at the center of the wardroom, with several officers seated around it. On Jee's command, they all rose from their chairs and stood in a line in front of Zuko.

Jee led his commanding officer down the line, introducing him to each of the men gathered there.

Once the introductions were completed, Zuko stood before all of them and began his spiel,

"I am honored to work with each of you. But first, I have one little concern I wish to get out of the way."

He took a deep breath and mulled over his words,

"I assume all of you are familiar with the brutal training regimen at Etajima."

The officers nodded in affirmation. Of course they knew. Every man serving in the Imperial Japanese Navy had almost certainly suffered the severe beatings that the instructors at Etajima Naval Academy would administer to cadets for even the slightest mistake. Sometimes, it was even on a whim.

Zuko carried a particularly nasty reminder of those days. To his relief, none of the officers seemed to have paid it any mind.

"Good. Then I wish to inform you that I will not tolerate such brutality aboard my ship. If one of the enlisted men makes a mistake, teach him how to rectify it instead of simply beating him. These men are just as human as the rest of us, and they are just as integral a part to this ship as you and I are. Physical punishment does not correct mistakes. It only breeds silence and misery. We need men aboard our ships, men who are capable of exercising their proper judgement and fulfilling their duties to the letter, not cattle who are only capable of blindly following orders. If any man here has any objections to the practice I am putting forth, let him speak now."

Dead silence. Either they cared too much about their job aboard the ship to voice their contention or they agreed with him. Either way was good enough.

"With that settled," he continued, "I'm very eager to hear about how everything aboard the ship is functioning."

He pulled up a chair and sat at the table, motioning for them to join him, which they did.

"Fukuyama," he motioned to the Engineering Officer, "How are the engines holding up?"

Lieutenant Hiroki Fukuyama reported energetically, "Both turbines are in perfect working order, sir. During our sea trials, we reached our top speed with no troubles whatsoever."

"Excellent. Pass my regards to the engineering crew on a job well done." he then turned to his Gunnery Officer, Lieutenant Iwao Matsukata, "And our weapons situation?"

"The guns performed admirably during the testing, sir," Matsukata replied coolly, "Most of the shells landed on target. Of course, these were dummy shells. Our magazines are to be stockpiled tomorrow," he indicated the man sitting to his left with a wry smirk, "Lieutenant Kuramochi can brief you on the torpedoes."

Chief Torpedo Officer Kenshin Kuramochi hesitated momentarily before giving his report, "We actually haven't practiced torpedo attacks yet, Commander. Jee thought that," he stopped briefly, seemingly contemplating the remainder of his statement, "Since you were mentored by Commander Hara, you might want to be present for the actual testing."

Zuko looked over to Jee with a quirked eyebrow. Not that he was angry with the man. It was common knowledge among the destroyer force that Hara had revolutionized their torpedo warfare doctrine with his manual on the subject. So it was only natural to assume that a pupil of the man would share the same interest.

"It's alright, Kuramochi," he said with a pat on the other man's shoulder, "You can tell Jee," another glance towards his XO, "that his thoughtfulness is most appreciated."

Both officers chuckled softly.

And so the procedure continued, with each of the rest of _Tokitsukaze_ 's officers informing her new skipper of the status of their respective responsibilities. By the time he had finished questioning the men, Zuko felt that everything was perfect and, hopefully with the magazines stocked and the torpedoes tested, his destroyer would be ready for battle.

{-O-}

 _Battle._ The thought replayed itself in his mind as he sat in his personal cabin an hour after dismissing the officers to enjoy some downtime until the rest of the crew returned.

Like both Hara and Uncle Iroh, Zuko had kept abreast of the news from abroad following the outbreak of war in Europe. He'd read of how Hitler's armies had cut a swathe across the mainland of the continent, how the _Luftwaffe_ terrorized the cities of Britain with bombs, how U-boats hunted and destroyed the convoys bringing desperately needed supplies to the beleaguered island country.

As for Japan, word had been spreading throughout the Navy of a possible war with the United States as early as the 1920s, a point reinforced by bitter opposition to the Naval Treaties signed between Japan, the United States, and Great Britain. As far as Zuko had been concerned, however, the war was being fought in China, and Japan seemed to be winning.

He had only begun to entertain the thought of war with the United States three months earlier when, during afternoon tea with Hara, he'd learned that Japan had concluded the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy and that as a response, the United States was threatening to impose severe economic sanctions and embargoes on the country.

" _We're slipping closer and closer towards the point of no return,"_ Hara had grimly proclaimed after breaking the news to his student, " _Mark my words, Zuko. If those jingoistic Army hotheads keep steering Japan on this course with their fanaticism, we may find ourselves at war with America within a fortnight!"_

While Japan had not gone to war within a fortnight of Hara's proclamation, the message was clear: _War is coming._ No one knew when it would come, but it was coming.

Zuko stared out at Uraga through the porthole in his cabin, watching the other destroyers in the harbor, all of which looked ready to go to battle the moment Tokyo gave the nod.

Though he'd never visited the United States, he'd heard tales of the American people from Hara, who'd visited the country during a cruise in the 1920s. From what he'd told Zuko, they were a proud, just, and hospitable people. It seemed a far cry from the demonic picture that the Army-controlled government was painting of them.

Even Vice-Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-In-Chief of the IJN's Combined Fleet, a man who had visited the United States on countless occasions and even studied at an American University, had spoken of the industrial supremacy that the country held over Japan and how its navy would be able to outpace the IJN in procuring ships and aircraft. While his protests fell on deaf ears in Tokyo, the fact remained that a war with the United States, a war that had started to look more and more like a reality, was not going to be as easy a victory as the hotheaded Army leaders had made it out to be.

And so for the first time since stepping aboard _Tokitsukaze_ , as he rubbed his left cheek contemplatively, his thumb sliding over the knife scar that he'd earned in Etajima, Zuko felt a faint twinge of apprehension for the days to come.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Whew! I'm amazed I managed to get this done, even whilst going off to college.**

 **So a few notes regarding parts of the chapter:**

 **-The "secret project" going on in Kure is none other than the construction of the super-battleship** _ **Yamato**_ **. The Japanese went through great lengths to maintain the aura of secrecy that surrounded both her and her sister ships. So successful were they at this task that many details and pictures regarding the battleships (and aircraft carrier in the case of _Shinano_ ) didn't come to light until after World War II.**

 **-Jee from Season 1 of ATLA makes his appearance as Zuko's XO. I wasn't exactly sure how to describe his appearance, but I tried my best.**

 **-In naming the officers of** _ **Tokitsukaze**_ **, I chose their first names based on their personality. For example (Hiroki = "abundant joy/strength"), (Iwao = "stony man"), and (Kenshin = "modest truth").**

 **-While Zuko has a scar here, it isn't of the same manner as the one he has on the show, mainly due to the fact that it just doesn't seem possible for someone to sustain a burn like that in real life and remain functional.**

 **As always, feel free to review the story and post constructive criticism. But please no flaming, anti-Japanese or anti-American sentiment.**


	2. Chapter 2: Target Practice

**A/N: Hello, fellow readers. Here is the second chapter to _Tales from the Tokitsukaze_. I've been in a slight rush to get this out of the way. I hope there hasn't been any marked drop in the quality. If there is, please let me know constructively, and I'll take steps to rectify it.**

 **Special thanks to fanfic user _axel100_ for his help in my choosing the topic of this chapter. **

* * *

**January 20th, 1941  
** **15:20 Hours  
** **Kaneda Bay  
** **About 10 kilometers south of Uraga**

A sizable crowd had gathered on the shore to watch the four destroyers sail out of the mouth of nearby Tokyo Bay. For them, watching the navy's men hard at work was a source of both pride and entertainment. While some observed stonily, others cheered and waved tiny flags.

Though by the far the most memorable part, at least for Zuko, was watching some of the enlisted men on the deck of his _Tokitsukaze_ wave awkwardly back to a group of _geishas_ who were waving and shouting cheers at them with remarkable enthusiasm. He and the other officers on the bridge had struggled to contain their mirth at their subordinates' squeamishness.

To him, however, the attention that he drew from civilians wasn't important. He was a military man who needed to stay concerned with military affairs whenever he was on his ship.

However, they hadn't gone to war yet, so there wasn't as much of a need to be completely aloof. Thus, he had allowed himself a small smile as he gazed from _Tokitsukaze_ 's bridge out at the shores of Kanagawa Prefecture.

In the distance, he could see the snow-capped peak of Fujiyama rising high into the sky. Even from far away, it was a beautiful sight. He'd often dreamed of scaling that volcanic mountain. Perhaps he would do so when this was all over, and the pressures of war were no more. Whether or not he would live to see those days was another matter.

"Sir?" Jee's voice shook him out of his musings. He cursed himself for letting his mind wander. This was a torpedo warfare exercise. It was most certainly not the time to be daydreaming.

Just six days earlier, Zuko had taken _Tokitsukaze_ up to Tokyo Bay with orders to link up with three other destroyers. To his surprise and elation, one of them had been none other than Hara's _Amatsukaze_ , the other two being the slightly older _Hatsukaze_ and _Yukikaze_.

Three days later, in a formal ceremony, the four ships were joined together to create the 16th Destroyer Division, the second such formation to consist solely of _Kagerō_ -class destroyers.

Now, the division was to take part in its first ever torpedo exercise, their targets being a pair of old dreadnought-era battleships that had been decommissioned in compliance with the Washington Naval Treaty and converted to radio-controlled target ships.

Hara had always told Zuko that a destroyer's punch was packed in its torpedoes. And given the recent developments in torpedo tactics, it seemed to him that the IJN's destroyers were packing an even greater punch than their American counterparts.

Just eight years earlier, Rear Admiral Kaneji Kishimoto and Captain Toshihide Asakama of the Kure Torpedo Institute had developed a remarkable and deadly innovation: A torpedo propelled by pure oxygen rather than compressed air.

Designated Type 93, the _Sanso gyorai_ ("oxygen torpedo") was, according to reports from IJN naval attachés who had visited the US and Great Britain, superior to the newest torpedoes of both nations. Because it used oxygen as a fuel source, it left no telltale trail of bubbles when travelling through the water, making it harder to detect. It could also travel for anywhere between 22,000 meters at 40 knots and 40,000 meters at 36 knots, more than four to five times the range of its American and British counterparts.

But its real edge was its hitting power. Compared to the 300 and 320 kilogram warheads of American and British torpedoes, the Type 93's warhead packed an astonishing 500 kilograms of explosive charge.

Based on live-fire tests carried out on target ships, it had been determined that a single torpedo could sink an enemy destroyer and a well-placed hit could severely damage larger vessels. If more than one torpedo managed to hit the target, the powerful explosions were enough to sink a cruiser or, depending on the number of torpedoes that were on target, even a battleship.

The idea that a single destroyer could unleash such devastating firepower with just a few torpedoes had served as a great morale booster to the men of the Japanese destroyer force, and the Navy High Command had soon realized the important role that this force would play in any war, especially against a great naval power like the United States.

As such, training among the destroyer force had grown much more strenuous to familiarize the men with the new torpedoes. Additionally, with Hara's torpedo manual having been accepted as the official doctrine, the maneuvers he had proscribed, which involved a great deal of mathematics, had been adopted as standard procedures for carrying out torpedo attacks.

And so, the ships of DesDiv 16 steamed into Kaneda Bay in a column, the standard cruising formation for a destroyer division, to put the maneuvers to the test.

The destroyers each carried sixteen Type 93 torpedoes, enough to fire two whole salvoes from their eight tubes. Though for the sake of practice, all of the torpedoes had been fitted with dummy warheads. A hit would be determined by whether or not they passed under the hulls of the target ships.

As the torpedo maneuvers were Hara's brainchild, his _Amatsukaze_ was at the lead of the column, followed closely astern by the divisional flagship _Yukikaze_ , Zuko's _Tokitsukaze_ , and _Hatsukaze_.

Aboard _Tokitsukaze_ , there was a general atmosphere of seriousness. There was no bantering among the officers as they were usually wont to do. Unless there were orders to be given or received, everyone stayed silent and alert, as if they were actually on wartime patrol.

Even Lieutenant Kuramochi, who usually seemed hesitant and unsure of himself, stood ramrod-straight next to Zuko with a gaze harder than the steel of a _katana_. It was probably to be expected, given his position as Chief Torpedo Officer.

"Beginning hyperbola," the Chief Navigator announced as _Tokitsukaze_ turned to starboard and followed _Amatsukaze_ and _Yukikaze_ in a hyperbolic turn. Behind them, _Hatsukaze_ followed suit.

"Distance to target, 2,000 meters!" The lookout on the port side of the bridge reported.

"Kuramochi, tell the fishermen to get ready!" Zuko ordered, "Target twenty degrees to port!"

"Target twenty degrees to port, aye!" Kuramochi relayed the order across the PA to the men manning the torpedo launchers amidships, who rotated them accordingly.

 _Tokitsukaze_ was now almost parallel to the target ships.

"Torpedoes ready to fire, sir!" Kuramochi shouted in confirmation once the launchers had the targets in their sights.

"Steady," Zuko replied calmly, "Steady,"

As they neared the end of the hyperbolic turn, the time came to fire. _Amatsukaze_ loosed a spread of eight torpedoes at the target ships. Seconds later, _Yukikaze_ did the same. Next came the turn of Zuko's _Tokitsukaze_.

"Torpedoes, fire!" he yelled. In response, sharp blasts of compressed air hurtled eight of _Tokitsukaze_ 's torpedoes into the water.

"Torpedoes running!" The lookout announced tersely. Meanwhile, _Tokitsukaze_ followed _Amatsukaze_ and _Yukikaze_ out of the hyperbola as _Hatsukaze_ launched her own torpedo salvo.

Zuko waited with bated breath to hear the results. Beside him, Kuramochi checked his stopwatch, counting how much time had elapsed since releasing the torpedoes.

Then, about a minute later, "Eight hits on the target ships!" the lookout's voice sounded much more cheerful as he broke the news.

Everyone present on the bridge cheered, and Kuramochi sported an unusually wide grin as Jee clapped him on the back.

"Good job, men." Zuko declared. Even if it was a practice exercise, his men had still performed admirably.

"Kuramochi," he turned to the other officer, who was still grinning, "Pass along my congratulations to your fishermen."

"Yes, sir!" Kuramochi replied enthusiastically with a salute and promptly left the bridge, presumably to go amidships to the torpedo launchers.

 _Good to see him in high spirits for once_ , Zuko thought to himself.

"Sir!" A young ensign ran up to him with a telegram in hand, "Message from Captain Shiro Shibuya, ComDesDiv 16, transmitting aboard Destroyer _Yukikaze_. It's addressed to all ships of DesDiv 16."

"Well go on, read it." He said encouragingly.

"He says, 'All ships have reported hits on target. Congratulations on excellent torpedo run. Begin retrieving torpedoes. Once complete, we head for Uraga. Our presence has been requested for a launching ceremony. Afterwards, we are to make for Yokosuka. The crews of all our ships are to be granted shore leave.'"

Once more, the men erupted in cheers. They were clearly more than happy to have some time ashore.

Zuko chuckled to himself. The next few hours were going to be most interesting.

* * *

 **20:25 hours  
** **Japan  
** **Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture  
** **Komatsu Restaurant**

Zuko, Hara, and the other two destroyer skippers seated at the table with them watched with both awe and amusement as Captain Shibuya, their own divisional commander, downed his fourth cup of saké with all the poise of an experienced drinker.

Amid the chuckling and cheers, _Yukikaze_ 's skipper, a man by the name of Kenjiro Tobita, reached around and clapped Shibuya on the back while a _geisha_ poured him another cup.

Once it was filled, Shibuya raised his cup in toast, "Cheers to a successful exercise!"

Zuko and the others followed suit and downed their cups. It certainly had been an interesting day for the 16th Destroyer Division.

After retrieving their practice torpedoes, they had stopped at the Uraga shipyards to witness the launching ceremonies of two new destroyers: _Akigumo_ , apparently the last of the _Kagerō_ -class, and _Kazagumo_ , one of the brand-new _Yūgumo_ -class ships, which were essentially a repeat of the _Kagerōs_ but with a redesigned bridge and improved anti-aircraft firepower. At Hara's insistence, they'd also stayed to watch the keel-laying ceremony of _Takanami_ , one of _Kazagumo_ 's sister ships.

They'd then sailed up to nearby Yokosuka, where the crews of all four destroyers had been granted shore leave until 2300 hours.

While the enlisted men wandered about the city, the officers had all made for the Komatsu Restaurant, a large establishment frequented by men from the Japanese Navy, including Isoroku Yamamoto himself.

Zuko and the other three skippers had commandeered a table for themselves, along with Shibuya, leaving their subordinates to their own devices. To the endless amusement of all five men, some of the other officers had joined the _geishas_ in musical performances. Jee in particular had given a wonderful accompaniment with his _sanshin_.

"So, Hara," Tobita interjected, "How's the family?"

"Chizu is doing well," Hara replied with a broad smile, "She writes me constantly, which is nice, given that I only see her once every few months. The children are happy and healthy. Though from what Chizu tells me, they really miss their daddy."

Zuko had often heard Hara talk about his family whenever they were working together, whether at sea or ashore. Judging from the happiness and wistfulness of his tone when he spoke of them, it was clear that they were extremely dear to him.

"Come boys," Shibuya declared suddenly, "Let's go get some more saké."

He got up, followed by Tobita and _Hatsukaze_ 's skipper, Commander Kerashimo Takahashi. The three of them headed towards the bar at the far end of the hall, leaving Zuko and Hara alone at the table.

"How are you feeling?" Hara asked his former pupil.

"I'm fine, sir." Zuko replied.

"You can drop the sir, Zuko," Hara commented wryly, "Since we're division-mates now and of equal rank, there's no need for formalities."

"Alright, _Hara_ ," It felt strange to refer to someone he looked up to by his name, "As far as having my own ship goes, I'm faring well. My officers are a pleasure to work with and can do their jobs to the letter. The same goes for the enlisted men."

"That's good to hear, how is your ship herself performing?"

"She's suffered no major setbacks since I came aboard. Of course, the time I spent aboard your _Amatsukaze_ helped with the transitioning. And if today's results are any indication, she seems just about ready for…" he trailed off.

"Ready for what?" Hara pressed him to finish that statement.

Zuko took a deep breath that sounded more like a sigh, "Ready for war."

"Is there something troubling you, Zuko?" his mentor questioned.

"Yes. Remember what you told me a couple of months ago when we were having tea together?"

"How we'd be war at America within a fortnight?"

"Not that," Zuko said dismissively, "I meant what you said about 'slipping towards the point of no return.'"

"What about it?"

"If war with America is unavoidable, how can we possibly defeat them? You've heard what Admiral Yamamoto said about their industrial capacity."

"Yes I have," Hara said in the same grim tone that he'd used that day he'd made his claim, "As for your question, I'm still considering a possible solution. For now, however, it seems we will have to fight them in the fashion of Sun Tzu."

"We must know our enemy and know ourselves," Zuko indirectly recited the quote from _The Art of War_.

"Yes," Hara affirmed, "We must make good use of our strengths and address our weaknesses and at the same time, we must exploit the US Navy's weaknesses and develop ways to counter their strengths."

"It seems our destroyer force should have no problems," Zuko declared.

"Perhaps," Hara admitted, "But the greatest problem we face is attrition. If our Navy and the US Navy both lose equal amounts of ships in one battle, based on Yamamoto's claims about America's industrial capacity, it will take longer for us to replace our losses than it will for the Americans."

"So now," Zuko commented grimly, "We not only have to whittle down the American Navy, we also have to make sure we don't incur significant losses of our own."

"Indeed," Hara observed drily, "Seems to be quite the task, don't you think?"

"I wonder if the Army hotheads have considered the feasibility of that," Zuko grumbled.

"Given how lightly they speak of war, I highly doubt it," Hara said with a derisive chuckle before turning serious, "We are Navy men, Zuko. Sadly, we do not have any say in Tokyo's affairs. But whatever happens, we must do our duty to the country."

"I suppose so," Zuko replied as Shibuya, Tobita, and Kerashimo returned with a large bottle of saké.

As he downed his cup, Zuko tried to push his foreboding thoughts out of his mind and enjoy himself, with the saké washing his worries away like the tides.

About three hours and several cups later, as he staggered tipsily into his bunk aboard _Tokitsukaze_ , he felt somewhat lighter than before, even if the floor wouldn't stop spinning.

"Good night, sir," Jee said amusedly. Even if he was Zuko's XO, he clearly could handle alcohol better than his commanding officer could.

"G'night, Jeeee," he slurred.

As the other man left, Zuko fell into a surprisingly deep sleep, his dreams centering around climbing Fujiyama with his Uncle.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **-I've been debating whether or not I should include Mai in this story. Let me know what you think and, if you think I should, how I should include her.**

 **-So, the 16th Destroyer Division makes its first appearance together. Alongside Zuko's** _ **Tokitsukaze**_ **, we have Hara's versatile** _ **Amatsukaze**_ **, the unfortunately not-so-famous** _ **Hatsukaze**_ **, and the venerable** _ **Yukikaze**_ **, once described by an anonymous YouTuber as "the destroyer that had half the Shinto pantheon looking out for it." If you look up the numerous battles she took part in and how she emerged from almost every single one unscathed, I think you'll find yourself agreeing with said YouTuber's assessment.**

 **-I'm pretty sure this shouldn't need clearing up, but just in case, "Fujiyama" is the Japanese name for the dormant volcano the rest of the world knows as Mount Fuji.**

 **-In case it isn't clear, "fishermen" is a term used to reference men manning torpedo tubes on a destroyer, just like how sailors refer to torpedoes as "fish"**

 **-Although the Type 93 torpedo is more widely referred to as the "Long Lance," I'm not using its much more famous nickname in this story because it was coined AFTER the war.**

 **-All historical information regarding the Long Lance comes from both** _ **Japanese Destroyer Captain**_ **and the highly informative website "Combined Fleet." I would highly recommend both sources to anyone interested in the Pacific War from the Japanese Navy's viewpoint, especially considering that the latter contains detailed records of movement of all of the IJN's ships. (And yes, the figures for the American and British torpedoes are accurate. Our early torpedoes were really that bad.)**

 **-All information regarding the order of battle of the Japanese Navy, in particular its destroyer divisions, comes from a report in the Nafziger Collection of the US Army Combined Arms Research Library. If anyone is interesting in seeing this report for his or herself, simply search "941JLNA" in your browser's search engine.**

 **-As far as historical changes go, the dates for the launchings of** _ **Akigumo**_ **and** _ **Kazagumo**_ **have been moved up by two to three months respectively, and the date for the keel-laying of** _ **Takanami**_ **has also been moved up by three months.**

 **-A** _ **Sanshin**_ **is a three-stringed instrument from Okinawa that's often likened to a banjo.**

 **-Even though Zuko shares the same surname as** _ **Hatsukaze**_ **'s skipper, there is no relation between the two of them, just like how Tameichi Hara has, to my knowledge, no relation to Rear-Admiral Chuichi Hara, the commander of the IJN's 5th Carrier Division (** _ **Shōkaku**_ **and** _ **Zuikaku**_ **) from Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Santa Cruz.**

 **Okay, so now I have to get back to studying, exercising, eating dinner, and the rest of the mundane parts of college life (bleh). As always, R &R, and I'll see you guys later for the next chapter.**


End file.
